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Fast Track Deportations? Easier Said Than Done

An effort is underway to 'fast track' the deportations of the adults who have come into the U.S. illegally from Central America in the past several weeks, but a San Antonio immigration attorney says that is easier said than done, Newsradio 1200 WOAI reports.

Lance Curtright says many of the immigrants will make claims for asylum, based on out of control gang violence and dysfunctional and corrupt governments back home.

"That applications takes about two years on a non detain docket," Curtright says.

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that the best way to stop the flood of illegal immigrants from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador into the U.S. is to start deporting the adults, meaning people over 14, back to their home countries. Their word of mouth, that they gave thousands of dollars to smuggling gangs to get to the U.S. only to be turned around and sent home, will counter the lies being told by the smugglers that anybody from Central America who gets to the U.S. will be allowed to stay.

But Curtright says even with a beefed up staff of immigration lawyers, which has been requested by the Obama Administration, claims of asylum, which have to be considered by a court, take a long time.

"If you go to court today and you get your case reset for a trial, you won't be going back until next year," he said.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says his agency is looking for places to hold the teenagers and older immigrants from Central America. Facilities all across the country are being explored.

More than 53,000 unaccompanied children from Central America have arrived in the U.S., mainly in Texas, this year.

Meanwhile, immigrants rights groups say President Obama, now that he has conceded that 'immigration reform' is dead in Congress, needs to pick up his 'pen and his phone' and issue an executive order stopping all deportations of illegal immigrants who have not committed more serious offenses.

"Use the power of the pen, sign an executive order signing a moratorium, no more deportations of hard working immigrants and splitting up families in this country," said Jaime Martinez of the Cesar Chavez Legacy Foundation in San Antonio.

Martinez and U.S. Rep Lloyd Doggett (D-San Antonio) plan to march to the Alamo on the Fourth of July to push for a moratorium on deportations.

"These families have devastated. torn apart, children torn away from families," he said. "This is a human rights violation."

President Obama says he will take unilateral action by the end of next month on the immigration question.